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Bill's Journal |
Manitoba |
| Day | Date | Entry |
| 28 | Fri, July 30 | Fine cycling weather. We made it to the Manitoba border in short order. The first 10K into Russell, Manitoba were on perfect roads. However, there was no paved shoulder for the rest of the day. The plain truth is that Manitoba's roads are terrible. The 10K of perfect roads from the "Welcome to Manitoba" sign to Russell, Manitoba is obviously a cynical ploy to disassociate the Manitoba border from the province's bad roads. Ironically, I sent an email to our Minnesota friends from Russell saying the roads "were not that bad," only to discover that they *are* that bad. We set up our tent in the yard of a friendly citizen of Strathclair.
 Manitoba's broken-down road with gravel shoulder and nice sky |
| 29 | Sat, July 31 | Strathclair to Gladstone. Some bad roads. Good cycling weather, however. Very good burgers to be had at "Uncle Tom's" outside Minnedosa. Stayed at the municipal campground of Gladstone. Good facilities and only $10. |
| 30 | Sun, Aug 1 | Gladstone to Elie. Try to imagine a four lane divided highway with *no* paved shoulders. Only in Manitoba. We rejoined Highway 1 from 16. "White-lining it" on a 100 KPH highway is not very relaxing, even for this seasoned cyclist. The drivers are quite reasonable, however. Unlike in Ontario, they actually drive at about the 100 KPH limit (not 120). We were lucky enough to find a very fine B&B in Elie. Had a very nice snooze and an amazing breakfast.
 L'Auberge Clemence B&B, a former convent  Its backyard garden |
| 31 | Mon, Aug 2 | Elie to Richer. We took the ring road around Winnipeg. Everyone told us to avoid the city and this made sense. Finally some paved shoulder. Highway 1 goes from full shoulder to half shoulder paved, but it is a dream compared to the rest of the province. We're staying at a cheap motel for decent sleep. Another good meal. We're getting proficient at sniffing out the better eating spots. (Hint: go where the locals go.)
 The longitudinal centre of Canada is in Manitoba |
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